No need for jerren and Ami (rewrite) (crackfic)
by kingdomman4
Summary: Jerren and Ami, caught in the crossfire and taken as slaves along with their adopted people, disillusioned and fearful of what may lie ahead, cannot help but wonder what fate Jurai holds in store for them... (a crackfic) a tenchi muyo/sailormoon au crossover ooc
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Two wanderers, humans without purpose or direction, left the planet they once called home, a planet called Earth, volunteering to be part of a dangerous space program.  
Jerren Ryo Gregory, a young man who has felt the bitter sting of failure many times in his life, feels there is no destiny waiting for him on his home world. Now he looks to the stars for answers, followed closely by his best friend Ami.

Ami Mizuno Anderson, a young woman whom, unlike Jerren, has achieved much success in her life, discovered that she had failed to shape her own path, much to her despair. When she was provided the opportunity to apply for the space program, Ami jumped at the chance, giving her best friend the option to join her.  
In the hope of a better life, the pair embarked on a journey beyond the stars, only to have their ship struck by a meteor, causing them to crash land on the planet Mercury, the sole survivors of the ill fated voyage.

The closest planet to the Sun, Mercury was once part of an ancient Kingdom that had long since passed into obscurity. There on that desolate world, the duo were surprised to find natives of the planet, still alive and thriving millennia after their kingdoms slow decline into the realm of myth and legend.  
Highly advanced, the humanlike Mercurians adopted the stranded humans and taught them their culture and way of life.

A year later, Jerren and Ami finally felt at peace with their lives…until the soldiers from a distant empire began raiding the Mercurian settlements.  
A mighty galactic empire that controls a vast area of space, the Jurai hierarchy harassed the peaceful citizens of Mercury, stealing people and resources until one day they sent their soldiers down to invade and lay siege to the planet. Many tried to defend themselves; however Jurais military, under the control of General Seina Yamada, was too powerful a force for the peaceful Mercurians. Many died in the siege, but more were taken captive and forced into slavery.  
Jerren and Ami, caught in the crossfire and taken as slaves along with their adopted people, disillusioned and fearful of what may lie ahead, cannot help but wonder what fate Jurai holds in store for them...

* * *

On the plains of the planet Mercury, a fierce battle was going on. Bodies of the dead civilians littered the streets of once peaceful city now laid in ruins. The sky burned an angry red, as the homes and even landscape was consumed in a sea of flames, as the Jurain army searched every home, hoping to find any civilians. There were also clashes on the streets as what civilians remained, tried to defend themselves against the ruthless invaders. Sadly, the invaders superior skill proved too much, slaying the citizens without a hint of remorse.

Amidst the screams and flames, a young boy and girl hide alongside other survivors inside a still standing houses cellar. Terrified by the increasing sounds outside, the boy and girl held each eachother along with the survivors. However, their blood ran cold at a sudden large bang on the door.

The door savagely kicked in, as soldiers swarmed inside, searching the upper areas of the of the abandoned house. "I see a passage way down there," said one soldier as he begun to kick on the cellar door.

All those in the cellar held each other closer, many with tears streaming down their faces, fearing these would be their final moments. Those fears grew to a fever pitch as the door was kicked opened and the soldiers came in droves, sabers pointed at the helpless civilians, moving in for the final blow.

As they were slowly consumed by the shadows of their enemies, the boys vision became black, before waking up drenched in his own sweat. He looked around and saw that he was in a dark cell along with the girl, while several other people were in similar cages, held in place by lazer bars.

"How did this all happen?" the boy asked, confused.

The young girl looked up at him with sad frown adorning her face.

"It surprised me to, it happened so quickly," replied Ami. "All I know is now were captives inside this space ship."

The boy groaned, seating himself on the cold metal base of the cell.

"Great, another down turn in my life. It's just like when I was on earth, one bad thing after another. Life was already miserable enough, but now were going to be captives on whatever planet there taking us too." A loud stomp sounded through the ship, the boy taking some of his anger out on what parts of the cell her could.

"And to think we thought we found a purpose on Mercury, said the girl. "Nice people who took us in, gave us a home, only for that home to be destroyed by a ruthless army from whatever planet they're from. Now both of our lives reached an all-time low. Just like at my nursing job or when I was a doctor."

"Well there's nothing we can do about it now, we just have to hope for the best or worse."

Just then a guard came to their cell...

* * *

In the outer reaches of the universe, Jurian Imperial Military ships returned home after several months of a military campaign in the dark, un-conquered sectors of their mighty empire.  
Landing safely on their home soil after piercing the planet's atmosphere, the gangway lowered and captives were steadily led from the ship's hold, closely observed by their captors.

The majority of the captives were Mercurians from the Sol sector; but two notable exceptions stood out from the largely green haired crowd, for among these captives were Jerren and Ami, two Terrans of Earth who were roughly forced into the single file line of their fellow captives with the butts of their guards' weapons.

"Keep it moving, kid. You're dragging the line down." a guard yelled sharply, thrusting the butt of his weapon into his back.  
"It's not my fault these cuffs weigh a ton! They make it a hassle to move, much less quickly..." Jerren griped at the guard.  
He was a dark haired, brown skinned young man. 19 years old, at 5 foot 5 he did not tower over his surrounding captors or fellow prisoners, but an aura of undefeated pride made him stand out like a beacon from the mass of defeated faces trudging beside him. Wearing a black tank top and jeans, he was somewhat nondescript and forgettable but his personality insured he would not be ignored.  
The guard shoved him again, harder this time.

Not far off, Jerrens' best friend Ami could be heard attempting to reason with the guards.  
"You can't treat us like this! Captives or not, we're still people!" she cried.  
Ami was a small but intelligent 22 year old woman, 5 foot 2, with blue hair and eyes. She wore a white buttoned shirt with a blue vest, a brown thigh high skirt, and brown boots.  
"Both of you shut your mouths!" another guard growled, "Or would you rather I make you shut them?" he said, thumbing the hilt of his saber.

"No, no…we're moving. No need for hostility..." she mumbled, shuffling forward with the rest. It wasn't long before they were forced into what they hoped was a temporary holding area as the line wound on out of sight.  
"These guards must be insane!" Jerren proclaimed loudly, looking over his shoulder to make sure there weren't any guards waiting to strike him again; he didn't need another bruise on his back…or worse.

"Not to mention incredibly rude. They can't just treat us like animals because we're their prisoners." she sighed, looking down the length of the line, alarmed at how long it really was. Jerren noticed the look and peeked down the line as well.  
"Jeez... this line is worse than the ones you find at a newly opened amusement park!" he said, eyes open wide at the sheer volume of people. Ami sighed and turned her attention back to Jerren.

"Yeah, I know, a quick estimate puts us waiting here for at least 4 hours, probably more. By the time we get through I'll be an old woman!" she ran her fingers across her face, feeling the wrinkles that didn't yet exist.  
Jerren sighed this time, exasperated at his friend. Ami smiled at him.

"Don't be such a sourpuss, Jerren. We could both use the exercise. Not to mention this fresh air actually feels lovely."  
"Man, Ami. Seems like no matter how bad the situation is, you always try to find a bright side." Jerren shook his head.  
"Well, someone has to do it. How else would we keep our spirits up?" She replied, smiling in earnest, but a thought pulled the smile from her face as she faced the reality of their situation. "I can't believe they managed to capture so many of us!"  
"Yeah, especially since we don't know where we're headed, or what they intend to do with us." he said.  
His head tilted up as he caught sight of what looked like a bird passing by. Ami took notice as well, her head tracking its flight. It was only then that the two truly looked at the planet on which they were stranded, and they were unable to stop staring.

Enormous rolling hills, completely green without even a trace of brown led off into the distance; monolithic trees, stretching high into the sky almost kissed the clouds; an immeasurable array of flora splashed color everywhere; seemingly endless rivers wound their way through the hills, with water clear enough to see fish swimming, clearly visible from their vantage point. The stunning vista moved the two humans as they were granted an unobstructed view into one of the hills valleys.  
"This might not be an ideal situation, Ami. But this place is just... it's..." he was unable to find a proper word to describe what he was seeing.

"…Breathtaking." she finished for him.  
The line began moving again, and faster than Ami had predicted. Soon enough, the pair saw their destination, whatever it may be, on the horizon.  
"Well, it looks like you were wrong about how long this would take, eh?" Jerren smiled distractedly, as his eyes were dragged from the natural purity of the land.  
The line slowly led into the more familiar industrial sprawl of a cityscape as vehicles and structures began appearing with greater frequency.  
"It would seem so…and I'm almost sad to see it go."

To be continued...


	2. Exile to jurai

**The Tenju Estate**

Roughly two hours had passed since Jerren and Ami, along with the other captives, had progressed to their destination. As the outside got further and further away what they saw next stunned them.

* * *

"What the heck….is that…A Giant Tree? It's massive! I can barely see the top," Jerren shouted in amazement at the sight before him, a displayed mirrored by many of the other passengers.

Ami in particular looked on in awe at the titanic tree, that towered over the clouds. "It's actually reaching up into the sky and clouds above. How is that even possible, and why?"

Little did the two know about how significant that tree truly was. Massive was an understatement of its description, easily reaching a height of over 5000 meters high. However, what was more important to note was that it was the home of the Royal Palace of Jurai, housing the current Emperor and his family, as well as the main homes of all of the Imperial Houses, the Royal Arboretum and much more. Needless to say, it being massive was merely scratching the surface of its significance

As they entered the massive tree, Jerren and Ami were shocked to see intricate, metal-stone walls and floors, shining a mixture of silver and beige, throughout the inside. Sadly they couldn't admire it for long, as two Jurian guards split the captives into two groups, prodding and striking them with their weapons if they failed to cooperate. The men were forced to one side and the woman the other, before being guided on separate paths in the giant tree like palace.

Jerren, along with the rest of the male exiles, found themselves in a large room where the emperor strode out, his steps long and smooth as he looked upon his captives.

The captives gazed upon the Emperor, Jerren taking in all of his features and was awestruck by the regality he carried. He stood at 6 feet tall, with long, dark purple hair and an equally long beard, fair colored skin, match by a pair of sharp, wine red eyes. His clothing matched his appearance, being dressed in long, elegant-looking robes with shades of brown and purple, matched with a dark blue, ankle-length cape.

Truly he looked the part of an emperor, and his walk seemed to match it, a stride indicating a fair amount of pride and arrogance one would expect of a ruler. All together these traits were those of the most feared ruler in the galaxy, Azuza Masaki Jurai. A man of immense power an asteem, whose name was known throughout the galaxy, including Jerren.

The sight of the emperor sent a mass chill down Jerren's spine, as he watched each captive appear before the Emperor, his unease and fast heart beat effectively drowning out whatever dialogue was being exchanged between them.

As he finally arrived before the emperor, the boy did what he could to maintain what little composure he could, yet he could not muster the courage to meet the emperor's gaze, despite feeling it's weight against him.

"What is your name and age, boy?"  
Jerren shook slightly upon hearing the emperor's voice, yet was able to manage a response. "My name's Jerren, I'm 19 years of age." The emperor nodded and spoke again.

"Correction that was your name, here however, you have no name. Here you are a slave, thus no longer worthy of a name. Instead you will be known as number 9631151."

Outrage quickly became etched across Jerren's face, his previous fear replaced with burning anger. "What!? You can't do that! Who the crud gave you the right to just take away a person's name?" He exclaimed loudly, causing the emperor to frown.

"It is my right as Emperor, boy! I have every right to do with you as I see fit. And if you continue to show me such disrespect, then you will contend with my guards or your slave overseer, who I promise will take away far more than just your name."

The Emperor's voice, boomed throughout the halls, causing many of the other men to quiver in terror, while Jerren remained rooted to the spot he remained at. The Emperor's shadow hanging over him, making the boy feel even smaller than before.

"Do we have an understanding?"

Jerren fear returned as his face quickly returned to face the ground beneath his feet, again seeing the shadow the Emperor cast over him. The grim feeling of what was happening was sinking in, as he almost robotically nodded to the Emperor's words, residing himself to his fate.

"It's fine..." He gulped, all but defeated.

However, Azuza's serious demeanor shifted almost instantly, his harsh gazed replaced with a bright grin, as he patted the boy on the head.

"Now that's what I like to hear from a good, submissive slave or Jurai. Now go on ahead to the scanner at the gate." He waved him off, turning his attention back to the holoscreen.

Jerren walked forward to the scanner, walking into its field of operation.

"Scanning." It said in a low, computerized voice. "Age: 19. Skin Tone: Dark. Hair Color: Black. Eye Color: Black. Gender: Male. Welcome to Jurai, Newcomer." Jerren wordlessly moved forward, following the other slaves wordlessly, trying to retain what little hope he could.

Meanwhile on the other side Ami, after waiting for almost an hour, was next to enter the huge processing station room. Once she entered, her eyes quickly locked onto the Empress, currently seated at her desk, waiting to process the remaining captives.

While not as imposing as Azuza, she was still tall for a Jurian female, standing at 5 foot 7. Her appearance, conversely was equally as regal to her husband, with dark blue hair tied up in a long ponytail style, red eyes, while having a lighter skin tone compared to the Emperor. Her attire was a slew of red, pink and brown. Overall she certainly had the appearance of someone in power.  
Ami continued to keep her eyes locked on the Empress, as she made her way closer, only to stop and avoid jumping in fright, when the Empress's red eyes zeroed in on her. The girl grew more nervous when a large smile spread across the women's face.

"Hello, captive of Jurai. What is your name and age?" She said cheerfully, looking over at her.

"My name is Ami Mizuno, and I come from Earth. My age is 22 years, Ma'am." Ami managed to get out, maintaining what composure she could.

"I see. Well, your new name is..." She trailed off while looking over the holoscreen, momentarily pausing. "Where did you say you were from again?" She asked.

"Earth, Ma'am. I also came here with my friend Jerren who is with the male slave. He is also from there." Ami replied respectfully.

"Interesting... Well, the new name you will be addressed by is Number 0254. Make sure to remember this, as you'll need it for the slave auctions tomorrow. Now head to the scanner at the gate." She said smiling.

"I accept my new name, thank you Ma'am." She finished and walked to the gate. "Scanning." The computer said.

Age: 22. Skin Tone: Light. Hair Color: Blue. Eye Color: blue. Gender: Female. Welcome to Jurai, Newcomer." And she stepped through the gate.

It took several more days before the entire group of captives had been properly processed and now we awaiting the auctions to decide their future. In the midst of this, Misaki made her way towards the processing room were where her husband was, currently at the computer hub, searching through the holoscreen.

"I have some very interesting news for you, my dear." She beamed.

"What is it? I'm quite busy right now." He didn't look up.

"While I was processing the female captives earlier I came upon an interesting discovery."

Asuza, now intrigued, pulled himself away from the screen, giving his wife his full attention. "Oh, what kind of discovery?" Azuza inquired, causing his wife's grin to grow.

"Well one of the captives told me that she's not really from Mercury but from the planet Earth." Azuza's eyes shot open at the revelation. "Earth, are you sure?"

Misaka looked almost insulted by the insinuation, "Have you ever known me to lie about something like this?"

Azuza only grew more worried at this, "What did you say her name was?" He quickly turned to the holoscreen.

"She calls herself Ami Mizuno, though now she goes by the number 0254. She also mentioned a boy named Jerren came with her, he's from earth as well."

"Interesting, I spoke with a boy by the name of Jerren not to long ago. He was certainly more defiant than the others."

He promptly stood up from his chair, "Once the other slaves have been cleared, bring them here. We'll resolve this matter immediately."

"It will be done my dear," Misaki replied, bowing to her husband before heading out.

Outside of the palace an hour of wading through crowds and searching, Jerren found Ami picking what resembled roses.

"Ami! I Finally Found You." He said with relief, running up to her. She looked up at him with a face of sadness.

"Apparently my name is not Ami any more. It's Number 0254'." She sniffed at the flower's sweet smell. He sighed and sat down with her.

"So, they changed yours too, huh? Well, I'm Slave Number 9631151, and it's a pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand to shake. They both laughed a little at this. The moment of mirth was broken though as two Jurian guards approached them. Jerren and Ami both grimaced.

"You two, are you numbers 0254 and 9631151?" The guard on the left asked. Ami nodded at this.

"Yes we are, why do you ask?" The guards nodded at each other and brought out pairs of handcuffs.

"You are to be escorted by us, willingly or otherwise." The guard on the right said as they were grabbed and cuffed.

"Wait! Why are we being taken?! Where are you taking us!?" He yelled as they were dragged off.

 **Before Azuza and Misaki**

* * *

The guards, after seizing the two captured teens, proceeded to drag both Jerren and Ami back into the great tree. Though it took another half an hour, to get through the multiple hallways and passages, before finally reaching the throne room, where Azuza and Misaki were waiting for them.

The "escort" upon reaching the throne room, promptly shoved the two captives, causing them to fall flat on their faces, while the guards promptly dropped into a kneeling position before their two leaders.

"How unnecessary..." Jerren muttered, managing to stand up along with Ami. The guards sprang up, before harshly pushing the captives faces back into the carpet, barking in unison.

"You KNEEL before your superiors!"

Neither teen attempted to put up any resistance, having since agreed it was a pointless effort and did as told. The guards then promptly returned to their kneeling as well.

"How do we get in these predicaments Ami?" Jerren asked her in hushed, exasperated tone.

"We were just in the wrong place in the wrong time. Or maybe this is just a nightmare, and the both of us are still at home, in our beds."

Sadly both promptly shook off any hope of that being a reality, since the pain alone from being shoved to the ground felt plenty real to both of them.

Shoving those thoughts aside, both parties' eyes shifted slightly to get a better look at the throne room, while they awaited their fate. The sight left the pair in awe of its design and glory, resembling an organic floor not unlike the outside of the tree, supplemented with a carpet colored with red and blue. "Wow..." Jerren muttered.

The Emperor padded his fingers rhythmically against the armrest of his throne, rather impatiently at that. Jerren gulped, recalling the Emperor's previous outburst, but managed to speak coherently enough.

"Sir, why is it that your guards... Escorted us here? Have we done something wrong? I apologize in advance." Azuza stopped tapping now, sitting forward in his seat, his gaze sending a shiver down both teens spines.

"You both are in a lot of trouble," He turned to Ami now. "You told my wife that you are both from Earth, not Mercury. Is that correct?" Ami nodded and rose a little to speak to him.  
"That is entirely correct, your grace. But, what does that have to do with the two of us being in trouble?" She said as politely as respectfully as possible.

"According to Galactic Law, any underdeveloped and advanced worlds are prohibited from making any kind of contact with each other. What that means in more simple terms is, since you two humans are on an advanced planets soil, particularly royal territory, we have no choice but to dispose of you and erase any evidence of your existence, lest we face the wrath of the Galactic Federation."

"WHAT!" Jerren and Ami shouted in unison, completely floored by the Emperor's words.

"However..." He trailed off, giving them hope. "I've chosen to overrule this. Mostly because you can be used quite efficiently for labor, or personal service because you are human. Any Jurian would pay good amount of money for two human servants."

They were relieved simply being able to live. "Of course until then, you will be watched—closely—by two of my best guards. For all we know, you could conspire with former citizens of Mercury or even run off." He waved his hands and his guards once again stood to grab them.

"Wait! We may be your captives, and we may have unwittingly trespassed, but we're honest and law abiding people! Please!" Azuza banged his fist on the armrest.

"Enough out of you, girl. My word is absolute and final. You will not argue any longer, you will go and listen to what you're told. Do you understand?" They stopped struggling an nodded.

"Yes, sir." They said in unison.

"It's not "Sir", it's "Your Grace" or "Your Highness"." He growled.

"Yes... Your Highness." They said again, in unison. He waved his arm in an away motion and they were dragged out of the room once more, the large doors shutting behind them

Misaki let out a sigh, turning to her husband next to her.

"Now... Why is it that they needed escorts?"

"They may be the ones." he stated, watching the doors shut.

"The ones?" she asked, now curious.

"Come with me. I have something I must show you."

The two rules made their way to a door behind the thrones, hidden by a curtain. Azuza pulled an old, golden key from her pocket and unlocked the door, stepping in a rather musty and dark room. Inside was an ancient, almost decrepit looking projection unit in the center of the room. Misaki was quite amazed by what she saw.  
"What... Is this a relic?" she asked while studying it, fascinated. Azuza pressed a small button on the machine and a hologram projected all around them. It was a large wall of text that was unreadable to Misaki, though Azuza was able to translate it.

"What it says, in short, is that a day will come when a prince and princess will come and take the kingdom by storm, and the oppressed shall be freed and the oppressors destroyed." Misaki still seemed confused.

"I don't understand. How does this ancient text relate to us?" Azuza sighed at this, turning to her.  
"My wife, I love you, but sometimes you are incredibly dense. Obviously, the oppressed in this case are the people of Mercury, and we are the oppressors." Misaki gasped, taking it in.

"So... What you're saying is... This is our doomsday prophecy?" he shook her head in disbelief.

"Precisely."

"How do you know they're the "ones." Isn't it possible they could be some other people," Misaki inquired, still confused by all that was happening. "And even if they really are the ones destined to overthrow us, why let them live? If I knew they were dangerous I would of killed them on the spot!"

Azuza sighed. "It's more complicated than you think Misaki. I was going to erase their memories then and there. However, something or someone prevented me, and then I received flashes of of random events regarding those two, appeared before me in a split second. It went so fast, I could barely make out what I saw. I felt it was in our best interest not to take immediate action, for fear of what might happen. Also the presence felt strangely familiar to me."

"Strange, seems we have a little mystery on our hands don't we dear?" Misaki as she chuckled slightly. However, a fearful thought quickly entered her mind. "But we are the most powerful empire in the galaxy! We have countless alliances, and most important of all, we have Tsunami, the protector of Jurai."

"I honestly don't understand it myself Misaki. It could all be just one giant hoax and we are worrying for nothing. However, I didn't become emperor by taking unnecessary risks and we cannot simply ignore this. For now, the best thing to do is observe those two and prevent this before it happens."

Azuza sighed once more, gazing at the prophecy that threated to destroy all he had built.

"I just hope that I'm making the right decision."

 **Parting ways**

* * *

Early the next day, Jurian guards rousted the Mercurians from the tents that they were assigned to, before dragging them away for the slave auctions. Two guards stepped into Jerren and Ami's tent.

"Get up!" a guard commanded, punctuating his order with a swift blow to Jerren's stomach with his pike. "You are coming with us!" Jerren and Ami woke up alarmed and frightened as they looked at the two guards.

"What!? Where's the fire at?" Jerren asked in surprised and pain, "What happened?"

"Did something happen?" Ami said in alarm, "Who's in trouble?"

"Emperor Azuza and Empress Misaki have ordered your presence immediately!" said the second guard.

"Them again?" said Jerren yawning. "Did we break another one of their rules we didn't know about?"

"You will know who will be bought by at the auctions which is today!"

The guards cuffed the pair and marched them to a transport, to which thankfully resulted in an otherwise uneventful travel back to the throne room.

After about a half an hour, the pair founds themselves once again in the throne room and under the gaze of the two Jurian rules.

"You may leave us now!" Azuza said snapping his fingers at the guards. They bowed their heads in respect and left the room leaving Jerren and Ami at the mercy of Emperor Azuza and Empress Misaki

"Today you will know who you will be serving!" Azuza intoned his eye on Jerren then turning to Ami.

"For you human girl, you will be serving my daughter, Princess Ayeka. I believe that you will be of good use to her especially. In particular she has important assignment tomorrow, of which you will be involved."

"Oh, that's good," said Ami, "I thought I was going to be sent to a cruel, harsh master."

'That was the original plan," said Misaki, who cocked out a cruel smile that made Ami wince.

"Oh, do not look so dejected," said Misaki chipping in. "It is better than a cruel male master. Besides, my daughter is very just and lenient, so you'll be in good hands." Misaki placed her hand over her mouth to hide her grin.

"Now for you human boy…." said Azuza, you will be serving my other daughter, Ayeka's younger sister princess Sasami. She asked me for an assistant to help her with a task we gave her, thus you seem like a perfect fit

"What….your younger daughter?" Jerren exclaimed in surprise, "Look, I know I'm a slave and everything, but I'm not going to play babysitter. I already had a bad experience once with my younger sister when my parents..."

"This is not up for debate!" Azuza responded in a stern voice "You WILL serve my daughter, unless you'd prefer a harsher assignment instead!"

"Alright," said Jerren lowering his head. "I'll serve her….like I have a choice!"

The Emperor nodded, "Glad to hear it, oh and before I forget. Don't even think about trying to escape, as you'll be watched around the clock by the royal guards while your with her. Who I've give the order to use any necessary force to detain you."

"Seriously, bad enough I gotta play babysitter, but also have your thugs watching…." Jerren spoke in outrage, though quickly clammed up when the Emperor practically jumped up.

"SILENCE," Azuza roared in fury. "I AM THE EMPEROR, YOU ARE MY PROPERTY AND YOU WILL DO AS I SEE FIT, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!"

His voice reverberated throughout the halls, actually shaking all of Jerren's insides, promptly any defiance to promptly die, as he wordlessly nodded.

"Good, oh and one last thing," said Azuza wrinkling his nose, "Those rags you are wearing must go!"

"You mean our clothes?" said Jerren and Ami in unison, surprised at the royal decree.

"Yes!" replied Azuza, "Those pitiful rags are not fit for any working member of the Misaki Household. From now on, you will wear what we give you to wear!"

"But we like our clothes," Ami protested, "We..."

"I said you will wear what we give you and that is final!" Azuza stated. "Report to the changing rooms down the hall to the left, after that you will report to your designated masters, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir….!" they sighed in unison, lowering their heads.

It is 'your highnesses!" said Misaki, "Call us 'your highnesses'!"  
"Yes your highnesses!" they sighed, then walked out the door down the hall.

Separating to change clothes the pair reunited shortly thereafter, looking at each other in their new attire. Jerren had traded his black shirt and pants for a green shirt and pants with brown boots, while Ami had swapped her white shirt, blue vest and blue skirt for a pink and blue dress with sandals.  
"You...You look nice!" Jerren said as he blushed at ami.

"You look nice yourself…." Ami replied shyly back, "For a slave I guess. So I guess this is goodbye…."  
"I guess so…."

said Jerren, "But don't be sad, we'll see each other again when the time is right."  
"Yes we will, and who knows, maybe we'll have some interesting adventures along the way."  
They parted ways in opposite directions and left each other for what lay ahead.

to be continued...


	3. meeting the princesess

The guards currently guiding Ami, having left the throne room, made their way outside to what appeared to be a flower garden. Seated not far away from them, sat the eldest princess of Jurai Ayeka, calmly sipping a cup of tea.

Befitting her title, the Princess was a sight to behold. Being 5 foot 6 in height, lightly tanned skin color, complimented by her wine-colored eyes. Adding to her beauty, was her dark purple hair, held in a ponytail with added 'spaghetti straps' framing her face. Her outfit matched her hair being an ornate set of clothes, being a combination of blue and purple.

However, what truly capture Ami's attention was simply the Princess's posture and presence. A single glance at her as she calmly drank her tea said so much without a single word. It was clear she was modest, well mannered, traditional, and aristocratic and a shining symbol of what Jurai stood for, in other words a true sign of perfection.

"Maybe this won't be so bad after all." Ami thought briefly upon being awestruck by the Princess's appearance.

However, her train of thought came to a screeching halt when Ayeka's dark red eyes caught sight of her, though the tension was cut by the calm smile that appeared on her face.

"Why hello there. Won't you come join me for a cup of tea." The princess took another sip, while shifting her eyes to the chair opposite her own, clearly signaling the guards. With a slight push that near made her fall over, Ami quietly took her place at the other end of the table, with Ayeka responding by pouring her a cup.

Ayeka quickly turned her attention to the two guards, "You may leave us now." The two did as instructed, offering a single nod to the royal before making their way went back into the Great Tree.

Once they were out of sight, Ayeka turned her attention to Ami, noting quickly her obvious discomfort and anxiety at the princess's presence.

"Now, now. I understand you've had a less than pleasant experience since you arrived here, however, there's no reason this experience has to be unpleasant." She took another casual sip of her tea, offering Ami a sign to do the same which she did, albeit still unnerved by the situation.

Deciding to change tactics, Ayeka placed her now empty tea cup down and gave Amit her full attention. "Now, since you will be my servant I believe it would be best if we get to know each other. So please tell me about yourself. I'm ashamed to admit it but all I know about you is that you're a human from Earth, who somehow landed on Mercury."

Ami fidgeted with her tea cup, feeling the Princess's gaze on her as she took another sip, trying to clam her nerves. With a calming breath she managed to start speaking, "Well I can say for certain my life hasn't been what one would call glamorous. Originally, I was an actress on a television program called Sailor Moon."

Ami peered into the tea, almost seeing the reflections of her memories play out in the shifting green liquid, "It wasn't exactly what you would consider high class entertainment, but I enjoyed it for the most part and made a few friends along the way."

Quietly taking a sipped of her tea, she continued. "I stayed on until my contract expired, before I moved to America, getting into Medical school and become a doctor like my mother. I finally made a name for myself, and I finally had a purpose in life, or so I thought..."

Ami's demeanor turned grim, further grasping Ayeka's attention, watching the girl now simply stir the tea with her finger, "My life as a doctor was tiring, very stressful, and most of the time...depressing. Most of my colleagues were more interested in their bank accounts then saving lives. It didn't help that I also had to watch many patients die, whether on the operating table, from sickness or simply old age." Ami's eyes gradually became hollow as her finger slowed its movement, going further into her memories.

"If that wasn't bad enough, I had a poor relationship with virtually everyone there. My fellow doctors mocked me and many of the nurses despised me, some even going as far as to harass me when it suited them."

Ayeka's expression turned from interest to shock at the revelation, "Why were they so adamant in being cruel to you. As I know it, a healer is a position that often garners great respect and admiration."

Ami simply her head down on the table in depression "They were jealous!" replied Ami as a few tears started to leak from her eyes. "The doctor in charge praised me for my efforts in helping patients. In time he gave me greater responsibilities, I was the new protégé and was making the rest of them look bad. Thus they responded by persecuting and oppressing me, even getting violent on occasion."

Ami's tears started to grow more numerous as she continued, "When I complained, it was my word against twelve other nurses. After that they started to spread word that I was a liar, which ruined my reputation with the patients and what few parties that did respect me. It became too much, and I quit. I realized that all this time while I had a high paying career and had made a name for myself, the reality was though that I accomplished absolutely nothing. I sank into a depression and was jobless for a time. Certainly not high point in my life…." Ami looked up slightly at the tea cup, now wishing it was laced with some kind of alcohol to lessen the pain she was feeling.

Her tears lessened when she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, finding Ayeka offering her a hand. "You poor, poor thing, you certainly had an unpleasant life on that underdeveloped planet didn't you?"

Ami looked up to her in tears, quietly wiping them away, "Despite that, that planet is still my home, and I do still miss it."

Ayeka now looked more confused than before, "then why did you leave it, and why Mercury of all places?"

"Well I wanted to get away from things and when the U.S. government on Earth was hosting the very first space colonization program, Jerren and I jumped on the chance to escape from our otherwise empty lives on Earth. However, the trip to Mercury was by accident, after our ship malfunctioned. However, we didn't really mind it as the people of Mercury were friendly, teaching us their ways and culture, and they treated us like part of their own family. But then your people attacked them and destroyed everything dear to them. We got caught in the crossfire and ended up here as slaves".

Ayeka's expression became downcast, clearly not happy with the information presented and showed a degree of guilt over what happened, "Yes, I'm not especially proud of that myself. Truthfully it was my grandmother who gave the order for one Seina Yamada to destroy Mercury. However, I honestly don't know why."

"Your….grandmother?" Ami was taken aback, "So it wasn't your mother or your father who commanded the attack on Mercury?"

"Oh no." replied Ayeka, "It was all done at my grandmother's bidding."

"What is your Grandmother's name?" demanded Ami. "And why did she do such a terrible thing?"

Ayeka however, did her best to calm the girl, who was obviously growing more hysteria, "Please Ami, I understand you've had a very trying experience and there are questions to which you want answers to and I will do my best to help you. However, you're clearly exhausted and won't get anywhere as you are now. Please, I have a room prepared for you and it would be best if you rested up, especially given we have a big day ahead of us."

Ami's frustration quietly broke at the mention of the "big day." " Your father did mention there was some important assignment he wanted me to help you with. Though he wasn't clear on what specifically it was?"

Ayeka merely chuckled at her expression, "Now, now I promise all will be revealed to you soon. However, as I said now it would be best for you to get some rest so you can be ready for those events. Besides I am you master now and I order you to go and get some sleep, understand." She offered the last line with a coy smile.

Seeing she wouldn't get anywhere and feeling both mental and phyiscal exhaustion taking it's toll, she only nodded.

"Yes mam." Act 2

* * *

Meanwhile Jerren found himself with the two hired guards handpicked by Azuza and was led to a huge kitchen where he saw a person cooking.

Much to his surprise, it was a small girl with teal colored hair wrapped in pigtails, fairly pale skin and melon colored eyes. Like her eyes and hair, her clothes were of a slew of bright colors, most green and pink. Additionally, she also had on her forehead, an upside-down triangle, something that Jerren had since been informed served as a symbol of Jurain royalty.

However, what Jerren could tell more than anything, from even a glance was that this girl was possibly the most pure hearted being he'd met since entering space. Even from a distance he could see the girl beaming with joy, compassion and kindness. Jerren had never even met this girl before, but from a single glance he could tell all this and to an extent it put his mind at ease.

Said girl, was quick to sense the approaching parties, and looked away from her cooking turned to spot Jerren and the two guards that escorted her and smiled, wiping the sweat of her face while wearing mittens.

"Oh goodie, my assistant is here. Now he can help me finish the rest of this huge meal for my grandmother's get together."

Jerren actually had to restrain himself from doing a double take, partly because of the girls bubbly response, but more for the task she suggested. "I'm just gonna help her cook some food, that's it?...No that can't be it, she's Azuza's daughter after all and he's a literal slave driver, no this has to be an act."

His musing ceased when the guards pushed him a little bit towards the girl , causing him to nearly lose his balance.

Jerren half expected young to make some kind of snide comment about his lack of balance or coordination, only to be completely shocked to see the young girl actually glaring at the guards, becoming down right indignent with them.

"Hey, that was very rude of you two." the girl huffed out, putting her hands on her hips, "He did nothing to deserve that."

Both guards actually looked down in shame under the young girl's stare, "Our apologies princess, we were just following orders from your father." They quickly dropped to their knees, bowing in forgiveness.

the young girl only let out a groan at their explanation.

"My father huh , well I have new orders for both of you now. Your going to also help me finish this job given to me by my grandmother."

The guards immediately shot up from the floor and stood at attention, "We understand the guards said in unison as they got up from the floor.  
the girl then smiled. "Good because now I have all the people I need to finish the task." With that her smile seemed to beam even brighter than before, leaving Jerren completely awestruck at all that just happened, leaving him with only one thought.

"How can this….borderline saint and that tyrant Azuza possibly be related?"

So Jerren along with the guards joined in with the girl and helped her to cook for the big get together.

However, the girl promptly stoped and did an immediate heel turn, looking Jerren square in the face.

"I almost forgot, I can't work with an assistant if I don't know their name. So what do I call you," said the girl as she spoke with another bright smile that made Jerren continue you question her parentage.

"Oh me, I'm Jerren Gregory."

"Ok Jerren, can you get me those onions in the bag on that table over there while my daddy's guards get the potato's."

The guards were quick to make good on their task while Jerren offered a simple, "ok cool" as he went to the table and got the onions. Which we them placed with the potatoes by the cooking stove, which the young girl started to slice.

The young girl looked at Jerren, taking the onions from the onion bag.

"Here you go," she said holding the onion giving it to Jerren. "Can you peel the skin off the onions so I can cut them and put them in the large cooking pot?" The girl inquired while wiping the sweat off her forehead again.

"Yeah sure, sounds simple enough," Jerren said, taking the onions from sasami, before beginning the process of peeling the skin.

As he peeled he took a moment take another look at the young princess, "So now that you know my name mind if I ask what yours is? No let me guess, from what your father told me it's either Ayeka or Sasami?"

"It's Sasami, Princess Sasami Misaki Jurai, though you can just call me Sasami" the girl said as she finished slicing her first potato, while offering he teen another bright smile, an expression she seemed to have perpetually.

"Thanks for clearing that up with me, I honestly couldn't remember it and didn't want to cause a mix up." said Jerren.

"So I heard you're not actually from Mercury, but an actual human from Earth, is that true?" Sasami said as she looked at Jerren with a curious face.

"Yeah its true, though it's a little more complicated than that." Jerren said, remaining focused on this assigned task.

"I had a brother and two sisters. My older brother became successful in football, while my eldest sister made it big in the acting business. I on the other hand, was just left behind."

"My parents looked down on me like i was a nobody. They told me I could never hope to be as successful as my other siblings."

"I'd gotten a few jobs while I was on earth, like being a janitor at Walmart or working at a fast food joint like McDonalds, but i was laid off from both jobs, mostly due to the economy."

"That's terrible Jerren," Sasami said as she looked at him with sympathy. Jerren just looked at her for a second, smiling at her kindness before returning to peeling.

"You know you reminded me of my younger sister."

"I do? What's she like your sister," Sasami asked, now curious at what Jerren said.

"Well she wanted to learn how to cook. So my mom taught her and she actually was a quick learner, still not as good as mom when it came to cooking but was close."

She was the only one who really cared about me or my problems. Atleast until the day, the day I lost everything."

"What happened," Sasmi said even more curious now as she looked in concern.

Jerren's face twitched uncomfortably as he recalled the memory.  
"My parents asked me if i could babysit my sister for the night. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with that, but I just came home from work after a grueling 7 hours. Part of me wanted to complain but I chose to simply endure it, figured it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world... if only I knew."

He paused for a moment, clearly struggling with recalling the painful memory, "I decided to take her to the park, since it was still the afternoon and a nice enough day out. I was watching her on the playground, but I was so exhausted I passed out and didn't wake up until midnight." Jerren's voice suddenly started to choke on his words, quivering from the thoughts that entered his mind. Sasami only looking on in sorrow as he continued.

After I woke up, I frantically started looking for her, my parents and even the police getting involved. We looked for two days, and...we managed to find her... a tear went down his left eye as he struggled to speak.

"No... please don't say that she she was...murdered?" Sasmi gulped.

Jerren wiped a tear from his eyes. "Surprisingly, no she was alive but she'd been at the mercy of this couple. While I was asleep my sister managed to get herself lost while wandering and ran into this couple, who managed to convince her they were friends of our parents. By the time we found her, she'd been seriously abused, both physically and mentally."

He chuckled bitterly at the memory, the faces of those two...monsters, still burned into his mind, "The police actually had to restrain me as I launched into a rage and nearly beat one of them to death...Part of me wishes they hadn't stopped me.

"After that incident my parents kicked me out of the house. Even after I explained to them it was an accident, they didn't care and threw me out."

Jerren paused to shake off a tear that threatened to form, "They atleast gave me some money to find my own apartment, which I managed to find on the cheap. Course didn't make things much better."

Sasami could only look at the teen with even greater sorrow, unable to even imagine having to endure such hardships.

"Though, things did seem to improve after I met Ami. It's actually pretty funny, I saw her she was sitting at a park one day and immediately recognized her from the show Sailor Moon. You can imagine I was a little awestruck, especially since my sister was a huge fan of the series."

The sight of a smile forming on his face made Sasami feel a degree of comfort, grateful that not all the teens life was one of misery and sadness.

"Anyway, I saw that she was depressed and though she could use someone to talk to. We actually got to know each other pretty well and became good friends afterwards. Eventually we agreed to leave Earth all together after we heard of a government program to colonize other planets. Neither of us had any real connections left so it seemed like a good idea. Atleast until we got hit by a meteor and landed on, ironically, Mercury.

"Wow! Sounds like you guys had one heck of a trip." Sasami chanted out excitedly.

"Yeah. Thankfully we were taken in by the people of Mercury. Apparently they'd stayed hidden from the universe for some time, claimed they were part of some ancient kingdom."

Jerren's expression slowly began to harden, with his hands starting to clutch tightly, "They were nice people and we lived there peacefully for about a year...atleast until your people attacked us and took them as exiles." His accusatory tone cut into the young princess, causing her to flinch at his apparent anger, not that she could fault him.

Sasami stood silent, looking down almost in shame under the boys gaze.

Jerren however, continued with his tale, his anger and disgust becoming more vicious with each word.

"It was horrible. Hundreds of soldiers, slaughtering innocent people, burning homes to the ground, abusing what few survivors there were. All but annhilating a civilization that had never raised a hand against them, AND FOR WHAT!"

His rage having reached a fever pitch, he slammed his fist on the counter, frighting the young Sasami. The guard quickly got into a defensive position ready to attack.

Thankfully Jerren, after a few breaths, managed to calm himself, "Sorry about that, didn't mean to scare you."

After another breath or two he straighted himself out and merely offered the girl another saddened glance, "After that we ended up here, once again ripped from our homes and met with more tragedy. Guess it's just our story of it life"

Sasami, could no longer standby, her face swelling with tears before leaping at the distraught teen, hugging him as tightly as her small frame could manage.

Jerren only looked down at the small princess with melancholy expression, saddened that he'd managed to bring someone, who but a few moments ago was so bright and cheerful, to tears.

He could only stroke her had and offer her kind words to drive away some of the sorrow he brought her.

"It's ok Sasami I'm sorry I got upset."

Act 3

* * *

It was 9:30 in the morning and Ami was in the upper chambers of her small room, sound asleep.

A loud rapping at her door would have likely awoken her, but she was in such a deep sleep, it didn't even register, atleast until the door was smashed in. Two Jurain guards made their way towards the sleeping teen, neither seeming concerned over destroying her bedroom door.

"Wake up!" the first guard said in a very loud voice, "The princess is waiting for you outside!"

"What!? whats going on!?" Ami yelled in alarm, almost leaping out of her bed in shock, "What's happening?"

"The princess wishes to see you immediately," answered the second guard, "She's been waiting for an hour and sent us to get you, you'd be wise not to keep her waiting."

"The princess!" shouted Ami, getting out of her bed. "I forgot all about her!"

However, before she made an improtu run to the princess, she quickly noted her attire. That being she was still in her slave clothes and barefoot. She blushed at the thought of appearing to the princess in such a state and turned to the guards.

"Just let me go to the bathroom and get dressed. I'll be ready shortly."

About 5 minutes later, she came out of the bathroom and followed the guards to the princess. They made it outside not long after, finding Ayeka at the front of the castle, awaiting their arrival."You're late," Ayeka said with grimace as she looked at Ami.

Ayeka made her way over to Ami, a stern look on her face, making the young girl all but cower and take a step back.

"I feel the need to remind you, as my servant you have a responsibility to be on time." Her scolding, cold tone, made Ami flinch even more under her gaze, afraid to even look her in the eye, but continued to do so inspite of it.

"Know that because you woke up an hour late I am behind schedule. In the future, you will wake up on time and follow my schedule to the letter. Are we clear on this?"

Ami could only offer a weak nod, keeping her face and eyes glued to the floor, too ashamed to even risk a glance.

"I'm sorry Miss. Ayeka," Ami managed out an apologize with a slight stutter, while bowing down in respect. "I overslept and lost tract of time."

Ayeka could only look at the girl with a degree of pity. Even if she wasn't really that upset at her for being late, it still made her happy to know her apology was sincere.

"That's quite alright, just make sure it doesn't happen again."

Ami simply shook her head with a bit more perk than before, "I promise."

Ayeka followed with a hand gesture to the two guards, prompting them to march towards the tree within the room, getting surprise from Ami.

"Wait, aren't your guards supposed to be by your side at all times?" Ami asked, baffled by the princess's actions, "Why did you send them away?"

"It's actually rather simple, I don't require any further protection." The emphasis on further made Ami's curiosity peak.

"In truth, I already have my own personal bodyguards to protect me. Azaka, Kamidake I summon you!" Ayeka's regal voice, resounded throughout the large chamber.

Just then, to Ami's surprise, two guardians appeared in front of Ayeka. Though it wasn't their appearance that surprised her, but their appearance. they were two wooden guardians, with the appearance of large logs, easily taller in height than a full grown man. On each of them were marked, with a large symbol she didn't recognize, one red and the other blue. Above those symbols was what appeared to be a small camera lens of some kind, that seemed to glow in the color corresponding to their symbol.

In short they weren't exactly what one would expect the bodyguards of a princess to look like. Then again Ayeka was an alien princess and trees seemed to be held in high regard with Juraians, so they were likely more than they seemed.

What are those things!?" Ami asked while staring at the two anxiously.

"They're not going hurt me are they?"

"Those are my two guardians, Azaka and Kamadakie,  
Ayeka answered. "They go everywhere I go and obey every command I give them."

Oh, I see." Ami was quite surprised. "Oh, before we go I wanted to ask about the assignment your father gave you since you're supposed to start today.

"Ah, yes, that," Ayeka said. "I will, but first let me get my carrier out of my pocket."Princess Ayeka then took a small item out of her pocket, which she promptly tossed about twenty feet away. Once it hit the ground, it rapidly began to enlarged itself, eventually forming into a giant hover carriage.

Ami, stood there in stunned silence, arms hanging at her sides, as she tried to process just what she just saw. "Wha...How...that...you carry a carriage in your pocket? How is that possible?

The princess merely smiled at the question, like it what happened was as casual as someone walking down the street. "Don't act so surprised, there are many interesting things you don't know about us."

Ayeka's eyes shifted to point at the massive ship they were currently standing in, "Our society is vastly more advanced than what you're used to. Interspace travel alone is an everyday amenity for us. Why we've learned how to control weather, create artificial intelligence and even craft our own pocket dimensions."

Ami's entire body progressively grew more limp as her mind tried to bear the weight of all that she was being told. Her legs were actually shaking along with her jaw, which was now as far open as could be humanly possible.

Ayeka only chuckled, almost with the same kind of glee one would find in a child eager to show their toys off.

"Just wait, we have so much more to see."

Ami and Ayeka quietly entered the carriage, Ami naturally allowing the Princess to enter first, whilst Asaka and Kamadake stood guard from the outside guarding.

"Now, then, we have a few errands to run today, hopefully we'll get them done quickly." Ayeka asserted, noting how Ami's eyes darted all across the interior of the carriage, still amazed by the technology before her. While the sight was amusing, she cleared her throat to get the girl's attention.

"One important assignment we have on the agenda is going to the GP Headquarters , to both help promote 2 hard working officers, but more importantly, to the Renza Federation to sign a very important peace treaty that we've been in discussions about for several months."

All this information seemed to overwhelm Ami, who seemed all but read to blow a gasket, making Ayeka chuckle.

"You'll grow accustomed to such events. As one of my attendants, it's expected that you accompany to such dealings. I guess you could say it's in the job description.

Not to be rude, but what exactly are the GP and the Renza Federation?" Ami inquired, scratching her head in confusion.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you of such things." The Princess had the decency to blush, embarrassed at the obvious blunder on her part, though tried to turn the conversation back in it's original direction.

To start with, the GP is short for Galaxy Police. As the name implies, they are the law enforcement agency for the entire galaxy. While they have a wide range of positions and duties, their main task is to maintain order in the galaxy, which often involves hunting down and capturing various, dangerous space pirates."

Ami's turned pale at the mention of space pirates, though Ayeka merely laughed off her concern.

"Oh, don't worry yourself, Ami. Most Space pirates are little more than low level thieves, who'd never have the backbone to even attempt to attack a Jurian Royal Ship. I can assure you we are perfectly safe."

Ami sighed in relief. "Oh, I'm glad to hear that. Though what exactly is the Renza Federation?"

"Well dear, that's a bit of a long story, but I suppose there's no harm in giving a few details," Ayeka said, leaning back in the carriage, casually scratching her head trying to remember the information in question.

"The Renza Federation was an independent planetary state, completely separate from the Galactic Union." Over time, the Federation was subject to countless attacks by space pirates. Seems that over the years they'd grown more and more bold. It'd gotten so bad there were raids and attacks every day and what peacekeeping forces existed at the time were stretched far too thin. Thus in an act of desperation, the Federation begged for the aide of Jurai and the Galactic Unions help."

Ayeka let out a somber sigh, fully aware of just how desperate the situation had been for the Federation at that time. "Unforunately, the majority of Federation space was not within our range, nor were they a member of Galatic Union. From a political standpoint atleast, we were unable or maybe just unwilling to help them."

Her tone grew progressively more downtrodden as she recalled the events further. "Unsurprisingly, they weren't happy about us abandoning them and where once there was desperation, there was no rage. I think you can figure out what happened after that.

Oh, what happened?" Ami replied. "Did they protest?"

The Princess offered a tired sigh in response, recalling all that had taken place during thost times. "Yes, they did, sometimes quiet violently. The Federation actually went as a far as to send protestors all over the Union, disrupting important meetings and even causing a few small riots."

Ayeka's mind quickly flashed back to those instance, reminded of the many angry screams of protestors throughout the galaxy. "Ultimately, the violent groups were dealt with swiftly, though as a result any peaceful protests were all but stomped out as well, often even more violently than the previous protests."

Here hands clenched tightly as she remembered watching many peaceful demonstrations being met with outright brutality. "I can't even begin to think how many were injured or even killed, all because their leaders wanted to make a statement. Sadly, they got there 15 seconds of fame when the Galactic News Network broadcasted their protests all across the galaxy."

"Of coure, even before their protests, the Federation sent 8 female spies to Jurai, serving in my grandmother's inner circle as her Ladies in Waiting. Thankfully, she was already aware of this deception thanks to our own spy network, so we avoided any major losses."

"So, what happened to the spies? Were they arrested?" Ami inquired, now curious

"Well, not exactly," the princess replied as a strange smile began to form on her face.

My grandmother actually arranged a political marriage for Seina Yamada and his soon to be 4 concubine wives: Kiriko, Amane, Neju na melmas, and Ryoko Balta, along with the 4 spies who originally worked for my grandmother as maids."

The Princess quietly chuckled at the memory of that especially "interesting" expereince. "If you can believe it, before the wedding even took place, the spies actually kidnapped Seina and took him aboard their ship to go to the Federation. Thanks to his reputation and prior exploits in taking down pirate guilds, they figured he'd be the savior of their people. Of course, my grandmother already had the plan in place and included the spies in the marriage to solve the Renza problem. Once that was settled both Jurai and the Union agreed to not only let the spies marry to seal the deal but also sign Renza into the union. So in the end it worked out well for everyone"

"Thank goodness things worked out in the end. You'd think something like that would start a war," Ami replied reeling over the amazing story. Though her mind quickly shifted back to confusion as she recalled the name of the main hero of the story.

"Wait, you mentioned Seina Yamada in that story. Didn't you mention him yesterday as the one who helped you attack Mercury."

"Yes, you're correct about that," Ayeka said with the question now getting her attention. "Why do you bring it up."

"Well, you promised to answer my questions, why would your grandmother send him to attack Mercury. What was the point of it all?" Ami's tone and expression reflected a serious change in demeanor, still understandably angry about what had happened on Mercy.

Her tone or perhaps it was simply the subject matter, actually affected the Princess's own demeanor, shifting uncomfortably under Ami's peering gaze.

"Honestly, I wish I had an answer, but I truly don't. Frankly, I'm more than a little disgusted with the entire affair. Sending Seina alone was more than necessary, but to also send a Jurian Fleet to attack an existing and advanced civilization, all to enslave their populous, well the idea goes well beyond unseemly."

Ayeka's expression actually shifted to one of revulsion, her teeth clenching along with her hands as she looked towards the floor, "I've always found the concept of slavery to be barbaric and well beyond any form of justification. The mere notion that a member of my own family would condone such an action...it honestly makes me feel somewhat ashamed of the blood that runs in my veins."

The princess quietly clutched her fists in anger, her emotions conflicting as she recalled all that had been told. "Ever since that incident, Jurai and it's people have become much more hardened. Even my own family have become far more stern, almost to where I don't even recognize them half the time."

The mention of an event, got Ami's attention. "What event are you talking about?" She inquired, eager to learn as much history as she could by this point, hoping perhaps it could atleast better explain her situation.

The princess, despite some clear apprehension, was seemingly willing to oblige. After taking a deep breath she turned her gaze back to Ami. However, her expression made clear to the teen that just discussing this matter was something the princess reviled.

"I'm sorry Ami, I know you have likely dozens of other questions, but I would appreciate it if we could refrain from this topic from now on. It's not something I enjoy talking about," Ayeka asked in a much calm voice. However, that only lasted a moment before her expression hardened, almost making Ami want to run at the sight of her red eyes, glaring at her with laser like presicion

"In fact, as you are my servant, I hereby order you to never bring up this topic again. is that understood?"

Ami put her head down, not wanting to stir up the proverbial hornet's nest more than she already had.

"Yes ma'am, whatever you ask."

"Now, back to the other topic at hand," Ayeka said as she smiled, thinking back to the incident. "Surprisingly, after the Ramzia debacle, things actually settled down if you can believe it. It's been 8 months since that event and Seina has become 3rd in line for the throne of Jurai, only below Sasami and Myself. Quite impressive for a human whose most defining trait was having horrid luck."

"Wait, Seina is a human? You mean like me and my friend jerren! I figured he was a Jurian like you and your sister," Ami shouted in surprise, mind trying to process this revelation.

"Indeed he is, though I wouldn't say he's exactly like humans on Earth. Regardless he's only second human to ever to be crowned Jurain royalty. The first would be my auntie Funaho, the current Empress in the Masaki household.

At this point, Ami found herself trying to take as many mental notes as she could, so much information to keep track of.

"I'm surprised there are humans that actually have ruling power in your family. Your father told Jerren and I since we were humans, we weren't even supposed to see an advanced civilization like this. How was Seina or Funaho's situation excused?"

"It's actually a lot more complicated than you'd think, and it's quite different for each instance. However, while I'd love nothing more than to tell you the tales, we need to start the carrier and get to our destinations. We're already late as it is and I'd prefer we not delay any further." Ayeka quickly shifted her attention to the controls of the ship and through a series of buttons or pads from what Ami could tell, the ship started to make its way through the hills of jurai

 **Act 4**

* * *

Meanwhile, in a different room inside of the Great Heavens Tree, Jerren was in Sasami's room, and it was quite impressive, to say the least.

The room itself was extremely wide in size, completely bathed in velvet red and silver along every way. The rather potent color pallet made sleeping on the floor with his cover around him much easier to bear.

Naturally, Sasami was sleeping in a bed equally as massive with similarly colored sheets. Though she wasn't sleeping for long as her bright, pink eyes opened wide as she quickly rose up, a wide smile on her face.

"Hey Jerren, wake up, I want to go exploring today," she said in her normal cheery voice. Jerren however, was practically comatose, unaffected by her pleadings. Sasami, with her cheery smile, jumped out of her bed and onto Jerren's stomach, causing his eyes to all but pop out of their sockets, while air flew out his mouth like a deflated beach ball.

"Hey! (cough), What was that for Sasami!" Jerren, practically shouted, as his body tried to suck in enough air to replace what'd just been violently expelled. "My body's still aching from all that working and cooking from yesterday."

"I told you, I want to explore today," said Sasami, her bubbly enthusiasm almost immediately melting any anger Jerren once held.

"But, don't you have class today?" Jerren asked, more than a little concerned about the possible harm, however slight, this little detour could have on Sasami's. "I mean, won't you get in trouble if you miss your classes?"

The young Princess however, wasn't the least bit concerned, chuckling the entire time. "Oh, don't worry about it," Sasami said as she spoke to Jerren with her normal playful innocence.

"I don't have to go to class until this afternoon. So we have plenty of time to have fun. So come on, let's go explore The Great Tree."

She quickly latched onto Jerren's hand and with incredible ease, despite the age and height difference, dragged the older boy along, who could only stumble over his own feet as he tried and failed to dissuade the young princess.

Hey, wait, are you really going to go and walk around outside in your pajamas? Don't you wanna get dressed first?"

Sasami, now having it brought to her attention, let go of Jerran's hand and took a moment to look herself over. And indeed, she was still clad in her nighttime attire.

The younger Princess of Jurai actually found herself chuckling at this mental blunder, while nodding in agreement with Jerran.

"Guess I didn't notice until now. But you're right, be kind of silly to walk around the tree like this. Ok, I'll get dressed first and then we can go." All the while she said this, her face never lost that seemingly endless smile of hers.

At the moment, however, Jerren was simply happy that the Princess wasn't going to potentially embarrass herself and quietly muttered out a, "Thank Goodness."

He then quickly remember a little detail he'd forgotten. "By the way, can I use your shower. Mine is kind of small and I need to brush my teeth."

"Sure, go right ahead."

"Thanks Sasami, I mean Princess Sasami," Jerren said, quickly catching that he used an informal tone with the princess before he went into Sasami's bathroom and locked the door.

"You're welcome Jerren. And you don't have to call me Princess, just Sasami is fine." Sasami spoke, cheerfully as she went into her changing room, quickly putting her royal robes on.

After about 5 to 10 minutes, Jerren exited the shower, feeling much more refreshed and relaxed, before heading over to the sink and brushing his teeth. A quick glance at the mirror, however, allowed him to catch sight of Sasami in her usual Jurian attire.

Sasami quietly opened the door enough to fit her arm through, making sure to keep her eyes completely shut. Quickly she handed a towel to Jerren.

"Here you go."

"Oh, thanks for that Sasami." He quickly took the towel, slightly a bit off guard even though her arm was present. He was quick to use the towel to dry himself off, before putting on his clothes in quick succession.

"You really are starting to remind me more and more of my little sister Sasami. She had a habit of surprising me at random times to." He grimaced slightly as he recalled a few memories. "Though more than a couple of times, they were simply to play a few pranks on me."

"Hopefully that's not a similarity that passed as well." He kept that last comment to himself.

Once Jerren closed the door, he was finally able to put on his clothes. As he put on his shirt, he called out to the Princess from behind the door.

"Hey, Sasami, I'll be done in a second, then we can head out, does that sound okay?"

The tiny princess merely smiled, "Sure that's okay with me."

Once he was done getting dressed, Jerren exited his room and the duo exited, meeting back up with the two guards outside the door, still in place having not moved an inch.

"Ok, so the first place you want to go to is outside the tree to the ships right?"

"Yep, that's right." Sasami practically jumping up and down with excitment.

"Oh, wait," Sasami said, halting all parties in place. "I changed my mind, I want to go to Royal Arboretum instead."

This sudden change in destination caused the guards to look at the Princess in surprise, before looking at each other in shared confusion, partly because they themselves weren't completely clear on the location of the Arboretum themselves since they almost never went there themselves.

Jerren, of course, was in a similar position, as he had no idea where pretty much anything was on the ship, let alone knowing there was an Arboretum on it.

"Uh, that sounds interesting Sasami, but I don't quite know where exactly that is." Jerren spoke with obvious unease, mainly because he didn't wish to disappoint the normally bubbly and cheerful noble. Seriously, making her even frown a little was like a punch to the stomach.

Thankfully Sasami didn't show any hint of disappointment if anything it seemed to make her more excited. "That's okay, I'll show you were it is," the young princess said this before once again grabbing Jerren's left wrist and proceeded to drag him down the nearest corridor, the two guards naturally following closely behind.

This little trip resulted in them going through multiple passageways throughout the Great Tree. If nothing else Jerren got a better grasp on just how massive the ship really was and even tried to make mental notes of certain locations he could hopefully visit in the near future.

Eventually, they made their way through an especially dark hall, though there was thankfully light at the end of the passageway, which the closed in on.

Once the group entered the room, they, with the exception of Sasami, were amazed at the sight before them. Sasami meanwhile simply enjoyed the sight of their amazement, likely something she was used to seeing.

The Royal Arboretum itself consisted of a huge walkway, with trees of various types, breeds, and sizes in every direction. Some of the trees Jerren was able to recognize from Earth and Mercury, while others, either due to the colors, composition or even just general look, he was amazed they were even trees. Heck one seemed to have Purple, Bright Yellow, and Pink leaves. It was amazing his mind wasn't overloaded by the excess color.

Regardless it was an amazing sight.

"Woah! This place is ...," Jerren said, completely speechless as his eyes scanned the massive room he now found himself in. His eyes almost looked like a child, filled with wonder and amazement.

However, that wonder was soon replaced with fear and unease as he looked down at the septic area. Simply put, the sheer height difference and lack of a proper rail or barrier gave him more than a slight case of vertigo, causing him to fall back scared.

"What's the matter Jerren?" Sasami asked as she went to Jerren whose expression was one of complete fright as he kept his back pressed firmly against the nearest wall, terrified to move even a single inch.

He shakingly managed to pry his left arm from the wall and point his finger downards near the edge. "Down there... It's... a long way down...we're like 100 feet up here."

His voice shook much like his arm did, his teeth chattering along with each word, almost making him look and sound like he'd just walked through a blizzard.

"Oh, that." Sasami said cheerfully, completely ignoring Jerren's incredibly obvious terror. "That's the septic area were the trees get there nourishment."

Then, as if just to make Jerren even more terrified then he already was, Sasami took several steps forward, to where her toes were just millimeters from the edge of the platform, her eyes looking down at the near black abyss below.

"It's actually kind of funny you mention how high up it is, I actually fell down there when I was 3 if you can believe it."

She spoke about it so nonchalantly, as if such a thing was a minor event, the guards were shocked, trying to not show any kind of reaction to the revelation.

Jerren meanwhile, it was difficult to guage him. On the one hand, his body had stopped shaking completely, which seemed to indicate he'd somehow gotten over his fear. However, one look at his face and it was was made apparent it was the opposite.

His expression could be described in only one word...horror.

"How... how did you survive a fall that deep?" Jerren asked, completely horrified from the simple idea of Sasami falling down such a hole, much less when she was even younger than she was currently. "How? How are you still alive!"

Jerren half expected Sasami to almost enter a trance-like state, not unlike those he'd seen or heard about suffering from PTSD. Going through a literal life and death situation, especially at a young age, there's no way she wouldn't.

So imagine his surprise when she simply smile and chuckled in her usual, whimsical manner. "Oh, that's easy. It was Tsunami, she brought me back when I died." Sasami said, her tone so matter of fact while Jerren's mind all but shorted out at the mention of the words "when I died."

"You...You died?" Jerren's words were strained as if the very words themselves were too vulgar to even attempt to recite.

Sasami continued to smile as she cast a glance down into the abyss below. "Yep, it was a long time ago, but I still remember it. I was playing along the pathway and admiring the trees when the ship suddenly started shaking, I lost my balance and well."

Jerren didn't need to hear anymore, another glance at the darkness below said it all while Sasami continued.

"After that...I don't remember too much. I remember it was dark and painful, but then I heard a voice and there was this bright light all around me and I felt all better. And then I woke up."

"But, that doesn't explain how you're alive."

"I believe I can answer that."

A glow of light appeared from behind Jerren, causing him to almost leap out of his skin. Turning, he found a formless, multicolored spectre before him. However, it quickly began to take shape, details filling in and soon he found himself staring at a woman, likely in her twenties, clad in formal robes with hair and eyes matching those of Sasami.

"Greetings Jerren of Earth, I am Tsunami, Guardian of planet Jurai as well as of Princess Sasami. It's a pleasure to meet you." A gentle smile formed across her lips and for a second he saw Sasami's face appear upon Tsunami's and he suddenly put the pieces he'd managed to get over the initial shock of the appearance of the strange woman, Jerren found his eyes switching back between her and Sasami.

"Huh, you know in a way you two look like twins sisters," Jerren said, looking at the pair curiously.

Tsunami merely smiled, seemingly taking the comment as a compliment. Though the guards in turn quickly dropped to their knees, bowing before Tsunami.

"Lady Tsunami," They said in unison. "We are not worthy to be in your presence. Please forgive our disrespectful behavior."

Jerren found himself gawking at the two knights, who up until a few seconds ago he'd have sworn were made out of stone. Yet now they were begging for forgiveness like two children in front of their disappointed mother. It was honestly kind of sad to watch.

Tsunami, however, merely approached the two, whose heads dropped even lower, practically touching the floor.

"Please, brave knights of Jurai, there is nothing to apologize for." The two looked up at her still smiling visage, seemingly awestruck by her.

Tsunami turned back to Jerren, opting to better explain the situation.

"700 years ago, Jurai was attacked by a vicious beast, sent by its master to destroy Jurai, in an attempt to gain it's valuable secrets."

"Destroy Jurai! This master wanted to wipe out an entire planet just to get some treasure?" Jerren said now angered by the revelation.

Tsunami nodded, "It was one one of the worst disasters Jurai had ever experienced in its history. Cities and forests across the planet were laid to ruin as it advanced upon Jurai's royal palace. Had a valiant knight not stepped in, the creature would've destroyed everything and stolen our sacred treasure."

Jerren looked surprised, trying to absorb and process all of the information in. He looked at Sasami who just smiled at him and then looked back at Tsunami, who also smiled making the connection between the two even more obvious.

"You know," Tsunami said, rubbing his head, "I sense a great potential in your to become a powerful and brave warrior. I believe in time, you'll come to see that in yourself."

Jerren seemed baffled by the idea, having never once seen himself as any kind of warrior or soldier.

Yet, Tsunami seemed to sense his doubt and offered some further advice. "No plan or weapon ever devised can match the power of one's self. The hand that guides the sword is the slayer and the blade is but an echo. It's important you remember those words, they may prove useful in the future."

Jerren looked confused as did the guards who were scratching their heads in a similar state. Even Sasami was curious as to what Tsunami meant, yet Jerren beat her to the punch in asking the obvious question.

"Excuse me, Ms. Tsunami, but what does that mean," Jerren asked quite puzzled by her riddle. Sadly, she had no answer, her body starting to glow with ethereal light as her body slowly faded away.

"That Jerren is a question you yourself must find the answer to. Life is one never-ending riddle and if you wish to understand it, you must seek the answers yourself."

She offered one last smile as her face disappeared. "Do not be discouraged, I know you will understand it when the time comes."

"She disappeared!" Jerren practically shouted, his eyes zipping in every direction from the spot where Tsunami had been standing not a moment ago, searching for any trace of the her

Sasami however, didn't even seem remotely bothered by this, acting completely casual about the whole affair. "Oh well. Was hoping maybe she'd stay a little longer."

Jerren was still reeling from all that had just occured before taking a moment to compose himself, as his vision zeroed in on Sasami.

"I don't suppose we could go to another part of the ship. That story and what just happened, suddenly I'm a little freaked out by this place."

Sasami's massive smile quickly returned to her face, practically glowing with positiviety. "Of course Jerren, I just wanted to show you this place, since I come here all the time. I thought I shouldn't keept it a secret from you."

"All the time?" Jerren practically choked on the words. After learning everything about what had happened to the Princess, he couldn't even begin to imagine what could compel her to spend a few minutes in this location, much less what had to have been hours, days, maybe weeks in it.

Yet, he felt no cause to question it. It wasn't like anything he could say would change things. Still he couldn't help but state his thoughts on the subject as bluntly as possible.

"You are a very odd girl, do you know that Sasami?"

Jerren and Sasami, along with the guards, proceeded to leave the palace, with Jerren still thinking about what tsunami had said. However,

"Jerren," Sasami said, as she pulled his shirt, pulling him out of his thoughts. "You've been silent for a while."

Oh, sorry Sasami," Jerren said, quickly snapping himself out of his stupor. "I was thinking about what Tsunami had said.

"And how cryptic her message was," said Jerren, his voice all but dripping with displeasure and frustration. "I mean,  
the hand that guides the sword is the slayer but the blade is but an echo? What in the world is that supposed to mean?"

However, Jerren suddenly found himself distracted when he heard a strange noise, almost like that of something vibrating. He stopped for a second, causing both the 2 guard and Sasami to look at him with obvious confusion.

Jerren however, paid them no mind as his eyes continued to scan for the source of the sound. "What was that noise?" He said with a confused look on his face.

Again Sasami looked at him with even more confusion at his question. "What noise, I didnt hear any noise.

There it is again," Jerren shouted as the sound of the vibration grew louder. "and it's coming from over there." He pointed to the other side of the passageway.

"There," Sasami said, getting the attention of the group. "That, that leads to..." She paused as her finger directed to a specific door on the ship.

Jerren looked at the room curious at Sasami's sudden pause. "So, which room is that?"

Sasami looked slightly nervous at the door in question. "It's my sister's room."

Your sister's room?" Jerren said perplexed and a little concerned himself. "Is it locked?"

Sasami made her way to the door and tried to pull open the door, but to little success as the door refused to even budge. "It won't open."

"It's locked? Is it supposed to be that way?" Jerren asked looking the door over, before pulling a familiar object out of his pocket.

"Then, I could use my key to open it right?"

The key was a regular key, pretty much no different from the one he had for his apartment on Earth.

"Sorry, but a key like that won't work here," Sasami said, "Only a master key would open this door and the only one on this ship is in my sister's tiara."

Jerren looked a little disappointed but Sasami quickly broke out into a smile. "Buuuuttt, I have another way of opening it."

Without a word, the bottom triangle in the center of her forehead started to glow brightly, almost to the point where Jerren had to cover his eyes.

Yet, a sound in his ears quickly caused his eyes to shift, and he saw that the door was now opening.

"Wow! I didn't know that the triangle thing on your forehead was a key," Jerren said suprised.

While Sasami almost chuckled at his rather childish description of her marking as "that triangle thing," she managed to maintain her composure and offer him a simple nod.

"Yep, that's pretty much how it works."

Jerren surprise turned to concern as he quickly realized something. "So, does that mean you always go into her room when she's away? I mean you seem to know how to unlock it and that's not something you'd know without practice."

"Well...," Sasami paused, scratching the back of her head with beads of sweat coming down her forehead, nervously chuckling all the way. "I kinda, sometimes do until Ayeka found out and banned me from ever going into her room again."

Just then, Jerren, along with Sasami and the two guards, saw a glowing box.

Curious, the group slowly approached it, with Jerren taking the box in his hands. Hesitant at first, he slowly opened the strange box, revealing what appeared to be a small, wooden handle of some kind, not unlike what you'd find in some swords.

Most notable about the handle, beyond the golden colored wood and intricate carvings, were three small red gems embedded near the end of the pommel.

Ever curious, he quickly grasped the object, only for countless bolts of electricity to suddenly spring to life around it. As if it were burning Jerren immediately drop the object, only to immediately regret his decision as a blue, double edged blade of energy suddenly sprung forth from the handle.

Thanks to gravity the blade quickly found itself embedded in the table the box had previously been placed, the blade burying itself up to the end of the hilt.

Jerren hesitantly grasped the handle of the blade and slowly removes it from the table.

As his hand made contact, electricity again erupted from the sword, and the blue beam of energy again appeared, shocking everyone in the room, none more than Sasami.

"Jerren, you can use the Light Hawk sword," Sasami practically shouted, her expression still one of complete awe at the spectacle before her.

The Light Hawk Sword?" Jerren questioned, looking at the sword he was now welding. "What does it do?"

"It's the royal family's most formidable weapon, capable of untold power and is said to have no equal." One of the guards spoke, still shocked by what was happening.

"It was previously held by Yosho, Lady Ayeka's brother, revered as the greatest swordsman in the entire galaxy. While it is possible for another person other than Yosho to wield it, the Light Hawk sword can only be manifested by a member of the Jurain Royal Family." The other guard spoke with equal shock, his gaze still looking at the blade. "Thus how can you, a random individual from another planet, be capable of manifesting it here?"

All the while this was going on Jerren said nothing, too focused on the sword and all he'd be told to respond.

"We must tell the Emporer and Empress about this at once." The guard quickly whispered to his companion, who nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, a commoner from another planet being able to manifest and control the Light Hawk sword. Such a thing would surely catch their interest."

However, the previous guard quickly realized something. "Though, we might not be able to do anything at the moment. Azuza is in a meeting with his generals while Misaki and Funaho are meeting with their own and you know how long those discussions can go on for."

the first guard spoke again, drawing Jerren's attention. "I believe I have a relatively simple solution to this matter. We'll simply train him in how to use the Master Key Blade."

"Master Key Blade? I thought you said it was the Light Hawk Sword."

The second guard, Sais. "You're very much correct in that assumption. However, it's also called the Master Key. In truth, it's far from a simple weapon, but also a key to one of Jurai's most powerful royal ships, Tsunami."

At the mention of Tsunami, Jerren grew perplexed. "Tsunami, wait, I thought that lady we met earlier was Tsunami. Are you telling me I was talking to a ship?"

Sais again nodded in the affirmative. "Well yes, though you must understand that Tsunami is far more than a simple ship. Each Juranai Royal Ship contains a Jurain Royal Tree, which in turn has a conscious of its own. I suppose if you want to get technical the ship is more like a means through which the tree can interact with the world around it."

Sais's attention quickly turned back to the matter previously brought up. "Any way, we'll need to start training you immediately if we wish to get your skills up to a reasonable level. We'll start by training you in the same location as Yosho did.

"So you'll train me to be a master swordsman? That's Awesome." Jerren practically jumped for joy with childish excitement at the prospect, Sasami matching it though ironically keeping her more childish tendencies restrained.

The two guards (By the way you really should give both of these guys names) took on a more serious demeanor.

"While your enthusiasm is appreciated, you shouldn't act like this will be some easy task. This will be a challenging and arduous endeavor. For now, we will begin outside to the Fields!"

Despite their words Jerren practically took off like a rocket, eager to begin his training with Sasami following close behind.

to be continued...


	4. no need for a close call

Back on the hover carrier, Ami Mizuno and Princess Ayeka were still riding through one of Jurai's forest.

The duo was in the midst of making their way to to the transportation center, intending to ride on Ayeka's ship and meet up with the Remzia Fedration.

Of course, while the trip itself was proving to be fairly uneventful, Ami still couldn't help shake her natural anxiety as the pair rapidly sped along the road.

"Are you sure we should be going at this high rate of speed? Ami asked, shivering slightly as the vehicle they were in continued to move at an impressive rate. "Aren't you worried about burning out the carrier?"

Not at all," the princess said, having complete confidence in her carrier. "Unlike the vehicles, you humans utilize on Earth, our ships and vehicles can go for days even weeks without any need to refuel. Honestly, I can't imagine how you can stand using such inefficient machines."

However, as if karma decided to be ironic or atleast funny, the carrier was suddenly meet with a sudden jolt, apparently hitting something large enough, that it sent the vehicle off the road and somthing and spiraling deep into the forest.

Ami and Princess Ayeka held on for life as the vehicle crashed into the ground, falling outside the road and hitting the dirt hard.

Surprisingly, despite the crash, Ami managed to get up relatively unscathed. The Princess was similarly unharmed, save for the dirt on her face and the holes in her immaculate dress.

In spite of this, Ayeka wordlessly dusted all the dirt off her clothes, wiped what she could off her face and attempted to regain some of her composure, before her eyes landed on her now grounded carriage.

My carrier!" Ayeka screamed loudly as she went to the now out of commison carrier. Azaka and Kamidakie were quick to the princess's side and scanned the carrier to assess its damages, though the princess seemed more focused on her vehicle.

"Now how are we going to get to our destinations now?"

"Sorry this happened Princess, but you should have listened to me earlier." Ami managed to speak out in an almost whisper-like tone, yet the Princess was able to hear it.

This proved to not be the best outcome as her face was seemingly shadowed by her hair as her face turned to Ami.

"I'm terribly sorry Ami dear, I couldn't quite hear you. Whose fault is this?"

A single glance was all it took to get the message across as Ami all but buried her head in the ground to avoid the Princess's eyes. "Nothing, I just said this is an unfortunate situation is all."

"Indeed it is, hopefully we can make it out of here without too much trouble." Ayeka's previous hostility seemingly vanished as she turned back to her two guardians for a full assessment of the vehicle.

Regrettably, it appears the carrier is beyond repair," Kamadakie said as he scanned the carrier with his eye.

Azaka meanwhile took a close look at the damage, his gaze quickly hardening. "More concerning, the seems like it came from someone. Meaning it's highly likely some individual or party seeks to harm the princess."

Someone's trying to harm me?" Ayeka asked, now thoroughly concerned about the group's safety.

Ami seemed to share the sentiment, still shaken up by the events that had just occurred. "Do you have any idea who it could be."

"Unfortunately, Jurai frankly has more enemies then there are planets in some solar systems. Pirates groups, Terrorist cells, Religious Extremists and the remainders of enemies from previous wars. I'm afraid narrowing down the number would be at best wishful thinking."

The two guardians remained on watch, both scanning every tree, and possible hiding spot that could lead to a potential ambush. "For now, I believe it would be best to return to the ship and contact the Emperor. If nothing else he should be informed about the threat on your life Princess."

"Absolutely Not!" Ayeka practically shouted, causing Ami to almost fall on her butt while the two Guardians immediate stood at attention. "I was given an important assignment by my parents whilst they are in the midst of an important conference. I will not complicate matters with them further by bringing them into something that for all we know could be a relatively minor issue."

She turned her attention to her attendants. "We currently have two of Jurai's most legendary warriors who I'm more than confident can handle any party that would dare raise a hand against me. As such we have nothing to fear."

Both Guardians seemed hesitant and concerned but nodded, unable to argue against their princess. Ami similarly nodded, though with concern etched all across her face.

Then how will we find our way out of this forest let alone the finding the way to the transportation center?" Ami asked, concerned and nervous how this situation is turning out.

However, her concern clearly wasn't shared with Ayeka. "Stop worrying so much, I've dealt with far more serious matters than this, I can assure you this is nothing I can't handle."

Her attention quickly turned to a pathway heading straight through the forest. A knowing smirk appeared on her face as she pointed towards the entrance.

"There we are, we walk down that way!"

With their path clear, the princess walked down the forest passageway, Ami along with Azaka and Kamadakie reluctantly following her, still on high alert for any potential threats that would likely appear.

They remained in this rather tense state forover a half hour later as the group continued through the forest, with no sign of them getting any closer to their destination, the only things changing being the passage of time and Ayeka's growing frustration at how they some how managed to get lost deep in the woods.

Ami quietly followed Ayeka, trying to calm her down only to be met with a harsh glare from Ayeka, practically oozing with hostile intent that practically caused Ami to walk straight into a ditch.

"This is your fault you know!" Ayeka said, her tone as cold as ice. "If you didn't wake up so late we wouldn't be in this mess!."

Ami attempted a reply, her voice tripping over each word whilst under her Princess's cruel stare. "Please Princess, it wasn't my intention to..." However, she was quickly cut off by Ayeka, not letting her get even a single word in.

"This was my only chance to prove to my parents that I'm responsible and more than capable of acting as ruler when the time comes!" Her glare intensified all but turning Ami to stone as she could feel the hate directed her way.

"But because of you, not only am I late, but we're lost on top of everything else. I'll be lucky if my parents ever let me leave my ship again without an armed escort everywhere I go."

Ami could only lower her head in disappointment, barely keeping up with the Princess who was working to put as much distance between her and Ami as much she possibly can.

Ami's eyes started to leak tears, still disappointed in her self for what happened earlier, looking as though she was about to break down completely. Thankfully, Kamidake was quick to her side, to offer some form of comfort.

"You shouldn't worry yourself about this. Despite what the Princess says, this is not your fault." His calm voice managed to slowly release some of the tension Ami was feeling as he continued.

"In truth, the Princess is simply frustrated as this is her first time leading such a crucial assignment. Before you awoke, she was in the midst of practicing her speech to the Remzia Federation and was shuttering practically every other line. This entire mission is weighing heavily on her mind and it's causing her to lash out at everyone."

"Just don't beat your self over it," Azaka, taking his place at her side.

"The only thing we can do now, is make what's best of the situation and hope that everything will work out."

While this did help bring some ease to Ami, she still couldn't completely shake off the harsh words from the Princess, managing to catch of glimpse of the Princess's purple hair as she disappeared behind the trees.

Walking a few yards away, Ayaeka looked in relief at the sight of a small pond just a few steps away.

Taking a seat, she slowly removed her shoes, before lightly rubbing her feet, sore from all the walking, made worse by her rather impractical shoes.

Scooting closer to the waters, she slowly dipped a toe in, before placed both beneath the waves, a single light moan of relief as she felt her pain lessen.

"Aaah, this feels so much better," she said with contentment, lightly kicking her feet back and forth while flexing her toes. "Hopefully, we'll find a proper place to rest soon, if we keep walking for much longer I may just go barefoot and save myself the trouble."

The Princess continued to mutter to herself, her mind half focused on her situation and the other half on relaxing, not even noticing the water just a stone's throw away starting to bubble.

The princess continued to quietly pad her feet in the cool water, happily humming to herself as she tried to let the stress of the day melt away.

For a moment she felt a genuine sense of peace, calm and serenity...until a popping noise could be heard. It wasn't especially loud under normal circumstances, but to Ayeka, who'd been trying to clear her mind of everything, it might as well have been someone firing a high caliber rifle next to her ear. And it only continued to get louder and more frequent.

Irritated, her eyes immediately opened, almost prepared to either scream at or destroy whatever the source was. However, any fury immediately died at the site of the small pool now bubbling furiously as if it were being held under an open flame.

With a jump, the frightened Princess pull her feet free of the pond, letting loose a short but loud scream that could be heard echoing through the surrounding trees, sending much of the nearby wildlife fleeing in every direction.

Azaka and Kamadakie immediately teleported behind the princess, wordlessly forming into defensive perimeter around the Princess, glaring at the still surging water, ready for what would come.

This proved wise, as the water angrily burst up like a geyser, revealing a floating robot head coated completely in an angry shade of red and a large mouth.

The small water body burst up further as the rest of the machine's body rose, propelled by a large jet booster strapped to it's back, the heat from it turning what little water remained into steam, whilst it's yellow eyes glared at the trio, centered on Ayeka, eager to take action.

"Azaka, Kamadakie!" The Princess called out as she got into a defensive stance, ready to take action should the situation call for it.

However, neither of her bodyguards were willing to take such a risk, immediately mercilessly blasting the robot with beams of energy, creating an explosion that sent debris everywhere along with water.

A massive dust cloud was left where the duo had fired and for the briefest of moments, they thought perhaps they'd managed to prevail.

However, their guards were quickly raised when the dust finally settled, revealing the robot was unharmed, protected by a dark blue forcefield surrounding it.

The two guardians prepared a second attack, only for the strange machine to prove quicker, firing two simultaneous shots at the pair. Both hit dead center, sending them flying back into several tress, before finally coming to a stop, unresponsive.

Ayeka could only look in shock and horror at her protectors so easily dispatched, yet was quick to tighten her stance, knowing now she would have to stand against the strange machine alone.

Ayeka again resumed her defensive stance, preparing to summon something to defend herself with. However, before she could summon any kind of energy to her, the robot's eyes began to glimmer for a moment before she found herself encased in some kind of blue bubble like barrier.

Worse still, it's size was minimal, barely enough wiggle room to even raise her arms, breaking her stance and her concentration, leaving her only to glare angrily at the robot's still glowing eyes.

Ayeka could only let out a vain scream for help as she was carried away, trapped in the forcefield like a hamster in a ball.

Thankfully, Ami managed to hear the princess's screams for help and quickly got up, peering into the forest and just barely catching sight of the captured princess being taken away.

"Princess!" Ami said in shock, getting the two guardians to quickly come to her side as the pair immediately took off after the Princess.

Azaka and Kamidakie, still partially damaged, managed to maintain their chase and began to start shooting at the flying robot head in mid air, though it managed to keep dodging the attacks.

"Let go of the princess immediately!" The pair said in unison as they continued to bombard the robot head mercilessly. Sadly, while their attacks were persistent and vicious, the robot still managed to easily and nimbly each blast with ease.

However, it seemed that the assailant had grown tired of being used for target practice and decided to return fire. It immediately turned his head to face the two guardians, before two crimson beams shot from it's eyes and struck the pair, sending them to the ground with two smoking holes in their bodies.

Ayeka could only look on in horror as her beloved guardians were dispatched, and possibly critically injured, leaving her at her kidnappers mercy.

Ayeka screamed once again as the flying robot head flew away with the captured princess, leaving the now badly injured, unresponsive guardians to die.

Ami was quick to rush to the guardian's sides, trying desperately to get a reaction from one of them.

"Azaka! Kamadakie, please, you have to wake up, she shouted, tears leaking from her eyes at their silence. Sadly, it was to to no avail, only growing more disheartening as the crystals in their center ceased emitting any kind of light.

Now outright panicking, Ami dropped to her knees, her mind racing in countless directions as she tried to maintain enough composure to think of some course of action to take.

"This isn't good. The princess has been kidnapped and the only source of protection we had has likely been killed...what am I going to do?"

Ami, having managed to regain some degree of calm, found herself pacing back and forth, trying in some vain attempt to come up with a solution to her current situation. Sadly it was proving somewhat difficult to even come up with a simple thought that could form into a plan.

"Okay, so, I think probably the best option is to try and distract the robot and rescue the Princess...now, how do I do that?"

Whilst Ami tried to find a way around her current mental roadblock, several thousands of yards away the robot was still fleeing with Ayeka in hand, the princess having grown silent not long after Ami could no longer be seen.

Still trapped within the barrier of her captor, Princess Ayeka, having assumed a posture similar to one in meditation, started to glow with bright light, seemingly attempting to use her Jurai powers to free herself.

The light she emitted proved quite bright and could seemingly be visible from several yards away, but did little to stop the robot's movement. Yet, she still tried, focusing harder and causing her body to glow even brighter. Sadly, despite the sweat dripping from her face and her face tightening from concentration, nothing happened. The barrier remained strong, and her efforts seemingly wasted.

Some distance away Ami was still trying to formulate a potential plan to retrieve the princess, though with seemingly no success. A part of her wanted to yell in frustration at her lack of a plan, only to replace it with a scream of terror as her body started to glow before seemingly disappearing from sight.

However, she immediately swallowed her scream, when she found herself deeper in the forest, more specifically roughly 100 yards away from the Princess and her captor

How...how did i do that," Ami asked out loud, looking in shock as quickly realized that she was now mere feet away from the princess and the floating robot head.

Part of Ami wanted to immediately run as despite her earlier intentions, she still had no way to get past the robot or save the princess from it. It was very likely she could be seriously injured or even killed if she tried anything.

"Well it dosen't matter," she said as she look on in determination as she quickly pushed down the fears she'd been having, "I have to save her."

Turning her attention to a near by pile of small rocks, she quickly formulated her next action.

The robot head, still airborne, shook when it felt something smash against its side, sending a metallic ring throughout the area. It's optical sensors quickly shifted, searching for the source of the projectile, before zeroing in on Ami, just as she chucked another rock it's way.

The robot saw the 2nd rock come its way, quickly opening it's mouth, releasing a powerful laser that all but disintegrated the rock, illciting a loud squeak of terror from the tossing party.

The robot then turn its attention to Ami, now more than a little terrified by the demonstration from the mechanical beast.

Again opening it's maw to release another blast, though Ami barely managed to dodge the blast, quickly hidding behind another tree.

The massive machine released another breath laser at the tree that Ami, sending the young girl into another panic attack. Sadly she wasn't able to react in time and could only throw her arms up, in a vain attempt to protect herself.

Yet, as she stood there awaiting destruction something happened. Her hands suddenly began to emit a faint blue shimmer, before water arose from all around her, forming a dome like shield around her body.

Though the blast still hit it's mark, the shield held fast against it with the blast scattered in multiple directions, leaving Ami unharmed and stunned by what she just saw.


End file.
